The Unshackled Waves Ep. 82 In Focus Show on the New Zealand Election

For those who don’t know the Unshackled will be in New Zealand for two weeks in the lead up to their general election on Saturday 23rd September. We will be speaking to a number candidates and activists while we are over there. But the election campaign is already in full swing so we thought we would get a rundown on the campaign so far with an In Focus Show. So we invited back on publisher of Right Minds NZ Dieuwe de Boer.

We start by discussing what the polls are saying which now put Labour ahead of the incumbent National government which is miraculous turnaround in only a month. We also touch on the main campaign issue which appears to housing affordability with a variety of zoning laws plus the current immigration intake contributing to soaring house prices in the major city of Auckland and its surroundings.

We discuss the two major party leaders including how new Labour leader Jacinda Ardern has been the main game-changer in the campaign and been the sole reason for Labour’s turnaround. She is viewed as a great communicator and has also energized the New Zealand feminist sisterhood, while Bill English is seen as dry and boring and not having the appeal the previous National Party Prime Minister John Key. Although people like to believe elections are about policy this election looks much more like a popularity contest between the two leaders.

We then turn to the fortunes of minor parties with the Greens imploding after one of the co-leaders resigned after an admission of welfare fraud which has seen their vote collapse. Also we discuss the rise of New Zealand First and its leader Winston Peters who is viewed as the likely kingmaker post election and speculate on which party he is likely to back to form government.

We also run through the various micro parties in New Zealand such as the libertarian ACT Party, the fate of United Future who will most likely lose their sole representative, the two Maori centered parties and the latest political party started by a wealthy New Zealand businessman: The Opportunity Party started by Gareth Morgan.